The Nature of Possession – Chapter 68

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Before rushing towards Namgung So-yeon, In-ho had spoken to Shadow Demon.

“There will come a moment when Master is in danger. At that moment, can you stop that monster, even for just a second?”

“I will stop her even if it means tearing my arms apart.”

“That won’t be necessary. Just a brief moment will suffice.”

“May I… ask what your plan is?”

Shadow Demon inquired hesitantly.

In-ho, his face pale with exhaustion, smiled.

“That dagger. You said it’s coated with the Head Administrator’s poison, right?”

He pointed to a small, violet-tinged dagger among the weapons Shadow Demon had laid out.

“You plan to poison her?”

“If… and this is a big if… if she’s healing with the blood she absorbs, and not her internal energy, then destroying her dantian won’t be enough.”

He explained his reasoning slowly, taking the dagger from Shadow Demon.

He stared at the ominous violet glow of the blade.

“Then we have to poison the blood itself, make her crumble from within. She didn’t absorb any blood from the people killed at the Black Heaven Cult.”

He recalled the piles of corpses being burned and spoke with newfound conviction.

“So the plan is for me to restrain her, and you’ll poison her… Wouldn’t it be better to tie the dagger to my wires and throw it?”

“No. If she sees a poisoned weapon flying towards her, she’ll dodge. And we won’t get another chance.”

“But… Young Cult Leader, you haven’t trained in martial arts. Even with a dagger, you’ll need considerable internal energy to pierce the skin of a trained martial artist.”

“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

A confident smirk played on his lips, and Shadow Demon fell silent.

And so, now…

“Young Cult Leader!!!”

Shadow Demon screamed as blood gurgled from In-ho’s mouth, his stomach pierced by the crimson spike.

Already severely injured, she couldn’t get to him.

“In-ho…!”

The Heavenly Demon, finally regaining consciousness, could only stare in horror at her disciple.

“Ugh… I thought I was getting used to this…”

In-ho’s body trembled, dark red blood staining his clothes.

“You… idiot…!”

The Heavenly Demon choked on her words, her gaze fixed on her reckless disciple.

Namgung So-yeon, the one who had impaled him, watched in awe as his blood flowed down the crimson spike.

“Oh… Young Master Kang… does it hurt?”

Her eyes gleamed with a perverse delight as his blood splattered her.

“Yeah… it fucking hurts.”

In-ho grinned, looking down at Namgung So-yeon.

“Young Master Kang… I’ve been thinking. All these problems… they stem from us being apart.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. So… I think it would be best if we became one. That way, no one can interfere.”

The spike in his stomach twisted, digging deeper.

“Gah…!”

“In-ho!”

The Heavenly Demon, scrambling to her feet, lunged at Namgung So-yeon, but a casual backhand sent her flying towards Shadow Demon.

“Now… let’s become one.”

Namgung So-yeon opened her mouth wide and bit down on In-ho’s neck.

Blood spurted.

“No… no… no…! NO!!!”

“Cult Leader!”

The Heavenly Demon screamed, crawling towards them like a madwoman, Shadow Demon desperately trying to hold her back.

A fountain of blood erupted as Namgung So-yeon greedily drank.

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally released him and his body limply fell to the ground.

His chest rose and fell shallowly.

He was still alive, but not for long.

His face, drained of its color, was turning a ghastly grey, and blood continued to flow from the wound in his stomach.

“Ah… Young Master Kang is inside me now…”

Namgung So-yeon murmured, caressing her stomach as if she were carrying his child.

She turned to the Heavenly Demon and Shadow Demon.

“Now… let’s finish this. This isn’t fun anymore, and I don’t want to waste any more time.”

Step-step-

As she walked towards them, her legs suddenly gave way.

Thud!

She collapsed with a look of confusion on her face.

“Huh?”

A chill ran down her spine, and she felt as if her blood was draining away.

“What? Why…?”

Black spots began to appear on her pale skin.

“Ah…?”

Nausea welled up inside her and a lump rose in her throat.

“Ugh…!”

She vomited a dark, crimson mass and turned sharply to look at In-ho’s body lying on the ground.

Black spots were appearing on his skin as well.

“C-could it be…? Ugh…”

She coughed up more blood and struggled to stand.

She stumbled towards In-ho, her breath coming in ragged gasps, and then collapsed again.

“Young… Master Kang…!”

She reached out to him, her voice weak and pleading.

“Young Master Kang, why…?”

In-ho turned his head slightly, his eyes meeting hers.

“…The… Head… Administrator…”

“…Ma… Mae-hwa…”

“…And…Yeon-hwa …”

“…Their… revenge…”

“…You… bitch…”

“Young… Master… Kang!!!”

Blood now flowed from his eyes as well.

Namgung So-yeon, her body convulsing, vomiting blood and bile, breathed her last.

The end of the once-celebrated genius of the Murim world was rather anticlimactic.

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He felt a gentle touch on his cheek.

His body felt heavy, his eyelids too heavy to lift.

Breathing was becoming difficult.

But he had to wake up.

He forced his eyes open and saw a familiar face.

“Master…”

His master and Shadow Demon were beside him.

“In-ho! You’re awake! Just hold on. I’ll neutralize the poison. You’ll be fine, just hang in there.”

Was it because they had been intimate?

Or simply because they had spent so much time together?

He knew she was lying.

If there was a way to save him, she wouldn’t look so desperate.

“It’s okay… It’s too late.”

“Don’t say that! Don’t you dare… don’t you dare say that in front of your Master… in front of me… Sob…!”

A light tap on his shoulder.

She was probably trying to scold him, yet also comfort him.

“Young Cult Leader… was this… your plan all along… to poison yourself?”

Shadow Demon’s voice was filled with guilt, as if she had committed a grave sin.

“I… I don’t have any internal energy… I couldn’t stab her… so… this was the only way…”

He forced a smile, his lips barely moving.

Before rushing towards Namgung So-yeon, he had stabbed himself in the thigh with the poisoned dagger.

And then, he had provoked her, enticing her to drink his blood.

Throughout their journey, she had frequently shown the urge to feed on him.

Perhaps it was her superhuman restraint, or… the remnants of the righteous Namgung So-yeon that had held her back.

But now, after the battle, after absorbing so much blood, he was certain she wouldn’t be able to resist.

Who could refuse a meal placed right before them, practically begging to be consumed?

And this was the result.

They had won.

“Why… why did you do this! What will happen to the Black Heaven Cult now…?”

Shadow Demon sobbed, her face contorted in grief.

“The Young Cult Leader… is… is also a member of the cult…”

“What?”

“He’s not someone to be protected… he’s someone who would give his life for the Black Heaven Cult…”

“This… this is what… the Young Cult Leader should do…”

The Head Administrator, Shadow Demon, and Fist Demon had told him this.

The Black Heaven Cult was the Heavenly Demon, and they would gladly die for her.

“I… I did this… for Master…”

And for the fallen members of the Black Heaven Cult.

“Don’t talk nonsense!!!”

His Master’s voice cut through his conversation with Shadow Demon.

She buried her face in his chest and wept.

He slowly raised his hand and stroked her hair.

“Don’t cry… Master…”

“Sob… In-ho… In-ho… don’t leave me…”

He continued to stroke her hair, pouring all his affection into the gesture.

“You’re… such a handful, Master…”

He savored the feeling of her hair against his skin, knowing he wouldn’t feel it again.

“Cough!”

His breath hitched, his stomach swelling.

The poison was spreading.

His Master was trying to suppress it, but it was a losing battle.

“Master… I have a favor to ask.”

“In-ho… anything. Anything at all. Do you want the world? I’ll lay it at your feet. Do you want women? I’ll fill your harem. Just…”

“Just…”

“Just… please, don’t leave me.”

Her pleas brought tears to his own eyes.

But he didn’t want to end like this.

He wanted to smile, to face his death with grace.

Because… for the first time since he started hopping dimensions, he had done something meaningful.

“Master, please let me go.”

He spoke clearly, firmly.

“No… no! Let you go again…? No…”

She clutched his hand, pressing it against her cheek, her voice a desperate whisper.

He held her hand, his eyes meeting hers.

“The poison… it’s getting harder to endure. Please… kill me. Quickly. Painlessly.”

“…No. I’m not ready to let you go.”

“You’ll never be ready. So please, let me go now.”

“…”

She remained silent, and he coughed up more blood.

Tears streamed down her face as she looked at him.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

“Then… promise me. Promise me we’ll meet again someday. Promise me that when we meet again, we’ll be together forever.”

Her words sounded like a child’s plea, and he chuckled softly.

It was his last request. How could he refuse?

“Don’t be sad. We’ll meet again someday. And when we do, I’ll be with you forever.”

She smiled through her tears.

Her tear-stained smile was heartbreaking, yet beautiful.

“Thank you…”

Those were her last words to him.

Then, everything went dark.

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[T/N: o7]

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